Amendment ID: S2506-2

Amendment 2

Rural School Aid

Mr. Hinds, Ms. Gobi, Messrs. Cyr, Humason and Lesser and Ms. L'Italien move that the proposed new draft be amended by adding the following new section:-

“SECTION XX. (a) As used in this section, the following words shall have the following meanings:

“Department”, the department of education within the executive office of education.

“District” or “School district”, shall include municipal and academic regional school districts in the commonwealth, excluding regional vocational and agricultural school districts.

“Eligible school district”, a school district serving not more than 21 students per square mile, and an average annual per capita income of not more than the average annual per capita income for the commonwealth for the same period, as reported by the United States bureau of census.

“Enrolled students”, the sum of student enrollment of a school district as of the previous October, for the next fiscal year.

“Student density”, the sum of students represented per square mile.

“Students per square mile”, the quotient of the sum of enrolled students at a rural school district from the prior academic year divided by the sum of square miles that a rural school district represents for the same academic year.

(b) There shall be rural school aid annually appropriated to eligible school districts beyond those funds to which they otherwise are entitled by the provisions of Chapter 70 of the General Laws, subject to appropriation by the General Court.  A school district shall be eligible for rural school aid under this section if a school district has a student density of not more than 21 students per square mile and an average annual per capita income of not more than the average annual per capita income for the commonwealth for the same period, as reported by the United States bureau of census.

The sum of rural school aid appropriated to an eligible school district shall be determined in part by a school district’s student density, and appropriately designated in groups of priority:

(1) Group 1: a school district serving not more than 10 students per square mile shall be appropriated a sum of one hundred dollars multiplied by the sum of a school districts enrolled students;

(2) Group 2: a school district serving not less than 11 students and not more than 21 students per square mile shall be appropriated a sum of seventy-five dollars multiplied by the sum of a school districts enrolled students;

The monetary factors used in calculating the foundation budget for such years shall be adjusted by the department for inflation for each fiscal year.

(c) The department shall promulgate appropriate rules, regulations and procedures to implement and promote this section.

(d) Subject to appropriation by the General Court, commencing in this fiscal year that this section is enacted and for the next fiscal year thereafter, a sum of not less than three million dollars per fiscal year shall be annually appropriated from the general fund for the purpose of funding rural school aid, as established in this section.”